2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X MR: It's an Automatic!

I'll echo carguy here:

I have no desire to paddle shift whatsoever. I don't care that it is slightly faster then manual shifting. There is nothing that can replace the feel and control of a clutch. I understand that not everyone agrees - a lot of the exotics are these fake-manuals - but thats just my humble opinion.

+1, dougtheeng.
Caroline, why does the M3 intimidate you so? I can't wait to get an E46 M3. My test drive in one put a smile on my face I couldn't wipe off for a week!

In Caroline's defense, I don't think she was advocating one tranny over the other. She is just telling us the Mitsu is a fun vehicle to drive and she likes not having to change her shoes to do so. What's wrong with that? I prefer a manual of the old style too, but I can understand that for women the shoe issue is a real life situation. Frankly, I hadn't thought of it before.

"fake-manuals"?
You mean fake automatics.

""fake-manuals"?
You mean fake automatics."

Either term works for me. I instinctively thing 'fake manual' because its forcing you to perform a shifting action, but doesn't have a user-controller clutch.

yeesh! stop trying to get technical when you don't understand what you are talking about. just say you want a traditional manual and leave it at that.

its a freakin manual split up in two sets of gears with an automated clutch controlling each set of gears! "fake automatic" is accurate as it is trying to simulate an automatic when it is really just a fancy manual transmission. "fake manual" would be an automatic with tiptronic.

I prefer these kind of manuals, snappier shifts and you can keep your hands on the wheel where they belong.

So essentially this is an official endorsement of the MR being a girl's car. Cool. I'll stick with an STI or Evolution GSR.

Makes me laugh when people think a manual car is a mans car and an automatic or even automated manual is a girls car, do you really need to justify whats in your pants by what you drive? Amazing..

Actually all we've concluded is the only reason for an automatic (fake or not) is so you can wear high heels.

Since none of the guys I know wear heels, I guess slickersdrip is right.

I won't judge for those who do though :)

A manual transmission is decidedly driven more by men than women. There are a lot of women who drive manual transmissions (including every girl I've ever dated), but when discussing shoes to drive a particular kind of car, yes, that doesn't seem very much like a guy car. I don't know any males who need to pull off his shoes to shift. Not to be meant as offense to Donna, but I don't see Karl putting up a blog about taking off his heels to drive the GT.

Meant Caroline, pardon. Where is the edit button these days?

You should separate the 'manual' automatic transmissions, 'automatic' manuals (BMW SMG II) and the dual-clutch sequential manual trannies (VW DSG, this Mitsu box). I have heard a lot of good things (smoother, faster, etc) about the new dual clutch boxes and can't wait to try it. I drive a 6MT M3 right now and while it can be fun, I would still like to try out a dual clutch sometime.

I'm with the get-a-life group on some of the comments here. I can drive a manual, and sometimes have found it fun to do so. But when the car is a pseudo-daily-driver, I'd rather have the convenience of the automatic.

The fake manuals (aka automatic with controllable gear selection- like my Malibu LTZ) are an improvement over the regular auto, in that they let you have the daily easy convenience and still have a bit of the control that you gave up going from the stick shift, only when you want it. For most normal folks, they're probably the best bet.

I personally think I'd love one of these fake automatics though! More control and responsiveness than the automatic (in any incarnation) provides, but without the clutch pedal to be an annoyance when sitting on steep hills at stoplights (some of you know what I'm talking about), or leg fatigue sitting in bumper-to-bumper stop-to-15-5-stop traffic flow. As a bonus, most of them (this one included, based on Caroline's post) are faster and more accurate on the clutch than you or I could ever be. Unless you relish burning clutches to light up the tires I don't see a problem!

Downsides of DCCT or DSG:

1. Super slow to respond on take off. Sickeningly slow. If you want to pull out in a break in traffic and cars are passing, start pressing the gas before the last car passes you. By the tine traffic has gone by you'll be out and accelerating.

2. Creepy feeling of a car going into neutral automatically while coming to a stop. Yes, the gears go to 1 eventually but there's a disconcerting moment when the car goes to neutral.

3. Time consuming and somewhat expensive maintenance. Unlike a manual, you will need to spend coin every 25-30k for maintenance. Sure it's only a few hundred but match that to the hassle of going to a dealer..ugh.

4. You stop using the paddle shifters within weeks. Every now and then we'll fiddle with the paddles on our A3 but for the most part, it's just like a normal automatic - set it and forget it. You'll use them when the time arrives but it's usually out of frustration, not for sportiness.

5. Connected to 4, you just don't feel very in touch with the car. I find the lack of a manual makes me a distracted driver. I don't need to pay attention to the engine or shift points until I realize the blast thing picked the wrong gear for what I want. Then and only then do I wrest control of the gearing from the cpu and double tap down to find the right gear. With a real manual you're always paying attention and in complete control.

This car is great and the transmission (for the average buyer) is huge bonus. I also love the fact that it can go from spirited to driving mode to "I just want to get there" with the flick of a lever. Excellent all around car.

blueguydotcom - thanks for the informative post about the downsides of a DSG. I have never driven a DSG car, but I've been intrigued with the technology. I'm a die hard manual fan, but the DSG seems like a cool alternative.

Your post and some reviews I've read leads me to believe a DSG is a faster, more efficient, and more sporting alternative to an automatic, rather than a replacement for a manual.

I don't think I would ever pick a DSG over a traditional manual, but a trickier decision would be would I avoid buying a car that only comes with a DSG and no manual option? The GT-R is a good example.

Stingray,

DSG/twin-clutch automated systems are faster than a manual for shifting and they seem to offer better gas mileage for many cars too.

As far as I know, every twin-clutch offers shifting abilities. The GT-R allows drivers to shift. There's just no 3rd pedal.

I would never buy a DSG over a real manual. However a good question is would I buy one over a real automatic?

It does sound more fun the a regular automatic or even a controllable one.

A big concern is what happens when it fails and needs a rebuild. The dealer will the only place you can take it and I'd worry they would charge you more then the value of the car once the car is 5 to 10 years old.

Jerry,

I don't exactly define myself by my car. I have a great life. Enough of one that I don't write three paragraph responses on a car blog.

Yes because it takes a cool hour to write three paragraphs. Please. Are you in the 10WPM club?

Nope, but thanks for the patronizing comment. It makes you sound like a very well versed and interesting person.